Saladini Pilastri Pregio del Conte: Montepulciano + Aglianico = Love

50% Montepulciano and 50% Aglianico from Le Marche, Italy. Made with organic grapes.

SRP of $18 and available for as low as $12. Sample received courtesy Colangelo & Partners PR for review purposes.

From the bottle:

“This red wine is brightly ruby-coloured, perfumes of sour black cherry mixed with notes of pepper, ginger, tobacco. Balsamic fragrance and sweet herbs make it warm and gentle on the palate while very concentrated. Velvety texture with well integrated tannins; long finish.

13.5% Alcohol”

It’s no secret that I love Italian wine, and that I also love red blends. But I have to admit, I have never had a blend that consisted solely of the Italian grapes Montepulciano and Aglianico. Today’s wine comes from Saladini Pilastri, a family that has been in the Le Marche region of Italy for over 1,000 years and making wine for 300.

The 2008 Saladini Pilastri Pregio del Conte begins with a wonderfully inviting aroma of black cherry, plum, pepper and a little smoked meat along with a good amount of oak when it is first opened, but that dissipates as it gets some air. The wine tastes rich and substantial, thanks in part to spending two years in French oak. There’s more excellent black cherry flavors (a bit on the sour side when tasting) plus licorice wrapped up in a great silky texture. It ends with a very long, dry finish featuring nice grippy tannins. It might even be better on day 2. Really delicious!

See a listing of local retailers selling this wine here.

Find out more about my rating system and check out the Wine Ranking to find all my reviews! You can sort by type of wine, cost, rating, etc. in the interactive database.

Sponsor The Reverse Wine Snob!